For machine systems of the most varied kinds, it is often necessary to provide a safety disconnect clutch, which isolates a particular portion of the system from the driving portion of the system if there is an overload for instance in order to protect gears on the input side, or the driving motor itself, from becoming damaged. When switchable clutches were used to this end, it was previously possible only to measure the transferred torque continuously via a measuring shaft and to compare the measured value with a specified maximal value for the maximum allowable torque, so that if this value was exceeded the safety disconnect clutch is actuated. Both the measuring operation and in particular the release operation takes a certain amount of time, because of the inertia of the parts that must be moved during the release process, so the specificable maximal value for the maximum allowable torque must be set preceptibly below the still-allowable critical torque, so as to assure that in the event of an overload the clutch will in fact be released even before the maximum allowable critical torque is reached. Since as a rule the transferred torque is not constant but instead varies because of varying loads, torsional vibrations in the shaft system or the like, the above-described margin of safety for the maximum torque value to be specified is attainable, and the safety disconnect clutch is actuatable, although an increase beyond the maximum allowable critical value may not have occurred over the course of the torque. On the other hand, particularly in the case of machine system interruptions leading to overload situations, as in crushing apparatus or the like, the torque rise can take such a steep course that the margin of safety factored into the monitoring device when the maximum torque value is specified is inadequate to release the safety disconnect clutch before the maximum allowable critical torque is reached. Hence driving and driven parts of the system may be damaged despite the actuation of the safety disconnect clutch.